Two-Dimensional Contact Pressure Distribution of a Radial Tire in Motion
Abstract The two-dimensional contact pressure distribution of a running radial tire under load is a fundamental property of the tire structure. The two-dimensional contact pressure distribution in the static case and the one-dimensional contact pressure distribution in the dynamic case were previously analyzed for a spring bedded ring model consisting of a composite belt ring and a spring system for the sidewall and the tread rubber. In this paper, a Voigt-type viscoelastic spring system is assumed for the sidewall and the tread rubber. We analyzed the dynamic deformation of the belt ring in a steady state, and obtained the two-dimensional dynamic contact pressure distribution at speeds up to approximately 60 km/h. The predicted contact pressure distribution for a model with appropriate values for the damping coefficient of each constituent rubber is shown to be in good agreement with experimental results. It is a characteristic feature that increasing velocity yields an increase in the pressure at the leading edge of the crown centerline in the contact area and at the trailing edge of the shoulder line.